Arriving in Toronto

[der meister 3,346]

               The Toronto skyline glimmers as we begin making our descent for our eventual landing at Toronto International Airport. It's been a long while since I've flown into Toronto, and it's never been for a lengthy stay. In my past assignment, embedded with the rather enigmatic winger for the London United, The Terrible Trivium, we flew to Toronto only for a game before moving on. My memories of Trivium's personality prove a stark contrast to the boyish enthusiasm of young Ryuji Sakamoto, who is snoring away next to me, wearing a sleep mask. Sakamoto's silence is giving me a rare opportunity to gather my thoughts, something that has been increasingly difficult of late.

 

               The Toronto Legion are a team on the rise, with solid young players throughout their lineup. I have no doubt that Sakamoto will become a useful piece for the Legion, though only time will tell how far up the lineup he climbs. His complete disregard for developing any offensive skills whatsoever have, thus far, proved to be inconsequential, as he has completed two development seasons and been in the top ten of defensive scoring in both of those leagues. At the VHL level, however, Sakamoto won’t only be facing off against his peers – he will be tasked with shutting down the best fake hockey players in the world today, and be expected to hold his own in the offensive end of the rink, as well.

              

               There’s also the fact that, despite his appearance and his attitude, Ryuji Sakamoto is still a rather naive young man. In comparison to The Terrible Trivium, who was a literal demon with eons of life experience, Sakamoto is barely more than a child. His grasp of English has improved substantially since our first meeting, but he once again finds himself uprooted, moving to a new nation after a few short months. I try not to get too involved with the actual lives of the players with whom I’m embedded, but I worry about Sakamoto’s ability to navigate life in Toronto, the intricacies of working with grown adults, the pure physical toll of the game at the VHL level. Perhaps I’m getting soft in my old age.

              

               Sakamoto sputters awake as the wheels touch the tarmac. “Are we there already, man?” he asks before yawning noisily. “I could eat. You know anywhere good to grab some food in this town?”

              

               I hide a smile behind moving to grab my bag from underneath the seat in front of me. Perhaps Sakamoto’s straight-forward attitude will make him popular with his new teammates. Regardless of how his first impressions go, I think I will suggest another visit from a friend back home in the coming weeks. He’s spoken at length about a number of them – Ann Takamaki and Ren Amamiya the most – but perhaps another familiar face will make the transition easier.

              

               “For real, man,” Sakamoto whines, “where can we get some food in this city? I’m starving! And we have, like, five hours before we can check into the hotel. We can get some ice cream or something. I had really good ice cream when I went to Hawaii with Ann and Ren and everybody a couple of years ago. Hawaii is part of Canada, right?”

 

One of Ryuji's fondest beach memories

[Doomsday 4,156]

Welcome to Toronto, Ryuji! Can't wait to see what you can do!